A Life Worth Living
by Symphony In Blue
Summary: AU. Danny makes some drastic decisions that will change his life forever. Meanwhile Zoë is still trying to come to terms with her new life in Chile. Spoilers for up to 3x10.
1. Life Changing Decisions

_So here it is, my 2nd Spooks story. This idea came to me a couple of days ago, and I just had to write it down. I was devastated when Zoë left in 3x06, and my mood didn't get any better when Danny died in 3x10. So perhaps this'll cheer people up who were just as devastated by these events as I was. Of course this story is completely AU, but this hasn't stopped any writers before :) Enjoy and please review._

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**Chapter 1: Life Changing Decisions**

"Are you sure about this?"

"Positive. I just can't do this anymore, Harry."

That last op had been the final straw for Danny. When he knew those terrorists were going to execute one of them, he knew he had to do it. He had to sacrifice himself. He didn't feel as if he had anything left to live for; no girlfriend or any other close friends to speak of, as his job made it practically impossible. He didn't see his family very often because of his job. And a few months ago he had lost Zoë forever, again, because of his job. He'd lost interest in life altogether, and felt it didn't matter whether he lived or died. However, this wasn't the case for Fiona. She had Adam and Wes, her whole life ahead of her. If either of them had to die, it would have to be him.

So he had taunted the terrorist, lured him out, made sure he would decided to shoot him and not Fiona. It had been quick, and he couldn't remember feeling any pain. He didn't even remember falling over and his body hitting the ground.

But miraculously, he had woken up again. He had opened his eyes to completely white surroundings, and even though he wasn't a religious man, for a second he had wondered whether he was in heaven. As it turned out he was in hospital, and he had been for the past week. He was pronounced dead on the scene , but when they arrived at the hospital it seemed he was still alive, but only just. He was operated on immediately, to get the bullet out, and was then put into a comatose state to allow his body to recover from the severe trauma he had suffered. And now that he had woken up again, he didn't know whether to be disappointed or thankful. The doctors told him that he had been lucky, and his current condition was nothing short of a miracle. He would need plenty of rest and time to recover, but his current prognosis was that he would make a full recovery.

In the days that followed, he wasn't able or allowed to do much, but it gave him a lot of time to think. He decided that he didn't want to return to his job as a Spook. As much as he had enjoyed it first, it just wasn't the same anymore. Too many things had happened, and he had lost too many people to be able to still enjoy doing it on a day to day basis.

He had contacted Harry, to tell him about his decision and to go through a few details with him. Harry was shocked to hear from him, as everyone still thought that Danny was dead. He was even more shocked when Danny told him he wanted to keep it that way.

"You're not serious about this, are you?" Harry asked.

"I am. I need a fresh start, and I feel this is the only way to do that."

Harry pursed his lips together, as he thought of what to say next. "But what about your family? Your 'body' has still not been released because it is part of an ongoing investigation, but they will want it back soon for your funeral. And do you really want to put them through all this misery, when you're not really dead?"

"It's not ideal, I know that. And perhaps someday I will contact them again. But for now I just need to get away. So I'm counting on your discretion Harry." He said.

"Don't worry, I know how to keep a secret. I didn't become a Spook for nothing you know."

" Good. As soon as I'm fit enough to get discharged, I'm out of here." Danny said.

"Any idea of where you're going yet?" Harry asked.

"Abroad." He replied. "I haven't decided on the country though."

Harry nodded. He had a faint idea where Danny might be heading, but he didn't say anything.

"So I guess this is goodbye then Danny."

The two men shook hands.

"Oh and one more thing Harry; I don't suppose you could eh..provide me with a passport and such?"

"Expect a package to be delivered later today."

"Thanks Harry."

"Good luck." And with that he left the hospital room.

It took 2 more weeks before Danny was discharged. He was an active person by nature, so staying in and doing nothing had driven him nearly insane. Since everyone thought he was dead, he obviously didn't get any visitors, so each day had felt like a lifetime. He'd spend most of his time thinking about what to do next. Harry had kept his word, and a new passport in the name of John Franks had been delivered that same day. So he knew that he could go wherever he wanted as soon as he got out of hospital. His destination was the only thing that didn't need much thinking about; he knew exactly where he wanted to go.

oOoOo

Halfway across the world, a young woman was rushing down the streets of a busy city, carrying a heavy bag of groceries and trying to balance a pile of books in her arms. She stood out in the crowd of people, as she was tall, and blonde, unlike most of the other people, who were shorter and mostly dark haired. The woman was Gina Hamilton, who in her previous life had been Zoë Reynolds. And the city she was currently walking through was Santiago, the capital of Chile, and her new home for the past year.

"Will, are you there?" She called out as she stumbled through the front door, nearly tripping over the mail in the process. She dumped the groceries in the kitchen, and went into the living room to put the books on the coffee table. She sighed as she took in her surroundings. The flat was a mess, and had been in this state for a while now. _Will's probably still in bed_, she thought. _Lazy bastard_.

She called his name again as she made her way to their bedroom. He was indeed still in bed, lying in much the same position as she'd left him in this morning; on his back, snoring loudly.

"Will!" She was getting annoyed now.

This worked, as he instantly sat up straight in bed. "What's up?"

"What's up?! It's 1 pm and you're still in bed, again! I rush home during my lunch break, pick up some groceries on the way and bring you some books to read and you're still in bed and the flat's a mess. I just don't know how much more of this I can take." And with that she stormed out of the bedroom.

Will followed her out, and found her sitting on the sofa, her head resting in her hands. "I'm sorry Zo, I just don't know what to do. I don't have a career anymore, I don't speak the bloody language, and you're away all day."

"Well you could make an effort!" She snapped at him. "I made an effort to learn the language and to get a job!"

"Oh come on, cut me some slack Zoë! It's not as if I've enjoyed sitting around doing all day. I gave up EVERYTHING to be with you!"

Zoë was fuming with anger now. "You're not the only one who gave up everything. At least you had a choice! You could've stayed in England if you wanted to, and you can still go back. I, on the other hand, can never go back. I didn't have a say in the matter; it was either prison, or leave the country. Now I know I can't go back, I will have to stay here, so I'll have to try and make the most of it. And if you can't do that, I don't know if I can continue this relationship with you."

This frightened Will. He sat down beside Zoë on the sofa and took her hands in his. This isn't what he wanted, he'd never expected it to go this far. "Zoë please don't say that. We belong together, you know that and I know that. I moved halfway across the world to be with you, because I love you."

"I'm sorry Will, but your love alone is not enough," Zoë said as she angrily wiped the tears off her cheeks. "I love you too, you know that, but if you can't make the effort to try and start a life here with me, then there's no point is there? You hardly leave the house, you haven't made any friends and we don't do anything together. I'm sorry Will, but I'm afraid we're finished."

After their fight, which had ended in an inevitable break-up, Zoë had gone back to work. She worked in a little English bookstore with very few customers and no other staff, so her days were spend in mostly quiet solitude. Normally she didn't mind, but today she did, as it gave her far too much time to go over the events of her lunch break again and again. She came to the conclusion that she'd done the right thing, however it did mean that from now on she'd be all alone in a strange country, with nothing or nobody left to link her to her old life. In the past year she had made a few friends, but it was all superficial, and so far she'd never felt the urge to get closer to any of them. The language played a part in that, although her Spanish was improving every day, but the main issue was that she felt she had nothing to talk about. Anything about her old life was obviously off-limits, and she hadn't exactly been leading an exciting life since then, so it was safe to say that her topics of conversation were limited.

When she came home that night, she noticed that Will had already left and taken all his things. There was a little note on the fridge saying that he was going back to London, since there was nothing to keep him in Chile any longer. She collapsed there and then in the kitchen, crying. Crying for her empty life, crying for all the loved ones she'd lost or had had to leave behind, and all the inevitable lonely days the future would bring her in this alien country.

**TBC**

**Hope you enjoyed. Please review :)  
**


	2. Unexpected Outcomes

Here it is, the second chapter. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed, it really motivated me to keep on writing this story. So keep 'em coming, it really means a lot. I was meant to update sooner, but real life (i.e. exams) got in the way.  
Oh and I forgot to mention in chapter 1, I own nothing, I'm just using the characters for my own entertainment. The brilliant characters belong to the BBC and Kudos.  
Un-betad, so all mistakes are my own.

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**Chapter 2: Unexpected Outcomes**

He exited the main entrance of the airport, a large bag swung over his left shoulder. It was a beautiful warm and sunny day, and even though his exhausting flight over had seemed like an eternity, he was surprised to feel a surge of newfound energy the moment he stepped out into the sunlight. Today was the day his life would begin again, and so far it seemed to have a promising start.

He hailed a taxi to take him straight into town. He hadn't booked a hotel in advance, so he hoped he'd be lucky enough to find one with rooms available. During the taxi ride, which lasted over an hour, there wasn't a second that Zoë wasn't in his thoughts. The taxi driver didn't speak any English, and as Danny didn't speak any Spanish, they were surely limited in their means of conversation. He wondered what she would be doing right now, how she would be living her life. He knew that the chances of finding her here were slim, since he had no idea where she might live. He didn't know if she even lived in Santiago. Chile was a big country, and frankly, she could be anywhere. Another problem that popped up into his mind was Will. The last sign of life he'd had from Zoë had been a picture of her and Will, hidden inside a postcard. _They're probably happily married now_, the thought. But he didn't care. All he wanted was to see her again, above all else.

The taxi driver dropped him off in the city centre of Santiago, and after having walked around for about an hour, Danny checked into a hotel. The hotel was small and looked a little outdated, but still had its charms and was affordable, so it would do for now. Danny had more pressing things to get on with. He had a quick shower and changed into a fresh set of clothes, before stepping out again. He decided to start his search at the city hall, thinking it would be the easiest place with the quickest results.

He was wrong. He had positively underestimated the bureaucracy of Chile, and the difficulties that the language barrier brought him. After having spend 3 hours in there, armed with his phrasebook, he was none the wiser and decided to leave it for another day.  
Although he wasn't hungry he forced himself to have dinner; he couldn't even remember the last proper meal he'd had. He returned to his hotel soon after that, the energy and optimism he'd started off with that day completely drained from him. He fell asleep instantly, couldn't remember his head hitting the pillow before he was out cold.

Over the next few days Danny tried everything imaginable to find Zoë. At one point he even grew so desperate that he walked the streets with a picture of her in hand, asking random strangers if they happened to know this woman. But whatever he did, it still didn't bring him a step closer to finding her. His life existed solely of eating, sleeping and searching for Zoë. He came to a point where he felt that he just didn't know what to do anymore. He started questioning himself. He started wondering if he would ever find her. If he had done the right thing by coming all the way out here, or if he had been terribly stupid and naive in thinking that he would just find her and that everything would be alright after that.

Danny decided to try city hall once more. Only this time he came better prepared. With the aid of his phrasebook, he'd written down exactly what his purpose for being there was, and who he was looking for. Reminding himself of the fact that Will was probably still there with her, he'd expanded his search to the name Will North as well. And this time, he got lucky. He was met by different members of staff, who were much more friendly and cooperative, and luckily one of them even spoke a little English. They were able to tell her that a woman by the name of Gina Hamilton was indeed living in Santiago, and that they could give him the address. Much to Danny's disappointment, a second resident was registered at the same address. Not surprisingly it was Will. Danny had been elated with the knowledge that he'd finally found her, but the idea of meeting Will again did cast a glow over his excitement. They'd never been each other's biggest fans, and he wondered how Will would react if he showed up on their doorstep all of a sudden.

Danny left city hall with mixed emotions, not knowing what to do next. It was a strange feeling that came over him; he had found what he was looking for, yet he didn't know what to do. He decided not to do anything for now. He'd leave it until tomorrow, he needed time to come up with a plan and think it through.

Completely lost in his own thoughts, he had wandered into an unfamiliar part of town. It was a very artistic neighbourhood with lots of little shops and art galleries, and even though it was very unlike him, he felt right at home there. All of a sudden something caught his eye. It was a sign hanging outside a shop. The reason why it stood out to him was because it was written in English. Deciding he could do with some distraction, he entered. The shop was even smaller than it had looked from the outside, and a little stuffy. Exactly what a book store ought to be like.

A little bell rang as he pushed the door open and stepped over the threshold, though nobody emerged from behind the counter at the back. Danny didn't think he'd be buying anything anyway, so he was glad no shopkeeper came pestering him immediately; he decided to take a look around, if only to pass the time. His eyes scanned over the backs of the many books, all cramped together on the shelves, but all the titles and authors just blended together into a whirlwind of letters. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice the person that was now standing behind him.

"Looking for anything in particular?"

He was just about to reach for a book, and froze mid-movement. That voice. It couldn't possibly be, his mind was probably playing tricks on him. But then again, he'd recognize that voice anywhere. He couldn't possibly be mistaken. His heart was pounding in his chest, desperate to find out whether he was right, but at the same time terrified to turn around and look.

"Zoë?" he whispered, still with his back turned to where the voice had come from. "Is that really you?"

He heard the woman behind him gasp. "D-danny?"

For a second she sounded hopeful, but then the tone of her voice changed. "N-no, it can't be true. God I knew I was slowly creeping towards insanity in this place, but I hadn't expected it to be this bad. Now I'm already starting to see things that aren't there!"

Panic had risen in her voice, and she'd started rambling uncontrollably now. Danny knew it was time to put a stop to it and put them both out of their misery. He turned around quickly, and found himself staring into the, slightly watery, eyes of Zoë.

They stared at each other as if they'd just seen a ghost, something from a past life, long gone but certainly not forgotten. Neither of them knew exactly how long they'd been standing there, when Danny finally mustered up the courage to speak.

All this time his main aim had been to find Zoë. Find her, and everything would fall into place. One thing he hadn't thought about; what to say to her.

"Hi", was all he could manage.

"Hi", she replied as she sniffed, still slightly overwhelmed by her own emotions.

He smiled. She returned the smile.

Both had dreamed about this moment countless times, and now that the moment was there, neither of them knew what to do, other than stare and smile.

Finally Danny felt capable of moving again, and he put it to good use by immediately closing the small space between them and wrapping his arms firmly around her.

The moment he put his arms around her she buried her face in his chest and started sobbing uncontrollably.

"Shh, it's okay, I'm here now Zo." He softly whispered into her ear.

"But how? When?" She asked in between sobs.

"Not now. I'll explain everything later."

And he would. But for now he was happy just standing here, his arms wrapped about the most important person in the world.

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**Thanks again for reading. I wasn't sure, and I'm still not sure whether to end it here. So I might add an epilogue to round up the story. Please review and let me know if you'd like to read more.**


	3. Revelations

_The plotbunny finally decided to pay me a visit, so here's another chapter!_

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**Chapter 3: Revelations  
**

They were standing outside her flat. Zoë nervously fumbled with her keys in an attempt to open her front door. Danny, who was standing behind her, thought it wise not to interfere. Finally she managed to unlock the door and they both entered her flat. Danny took a moment to take in his surroundings while Zoë dumped her bag and keys on the coffee table in the sitting area. It was a very nice flat. Not terribly big, but very light which gave it a spacious feeling. _The furniture and decorations were all very Zoë_, he thought to himself.

"So, this is it. Home sweet home," she said nervously.

"I love it." He answered, not sure what else to say.

Zoë sat down on the sofa, and motioned for Danny to come and sit next to her. She took hold of his hand as he did so, squeezing it lightly. He looked down at their entwined hands, glad for the human contact, even though it was the mere holding of hands. For a moment he had feared that Zoë would shut him out, but this gesture gave him all the reassurance he needed.

"Tell me what happened." She said.

Danny started talking, beginning with the operation he and Fiona had gone one, and how it had all gone horribly wrong. How he had made the decision to resign and come and look for her.

By the time he had finished, Zoë was in tears. Her shoulders shook violently with every sob, and Danny pulled her into a comforting hug.

"Shh, it's ok Zo," he said.

"No it's not ok," she sniffed. "Why did you have to do it like that? Everyone now thinks you're dead, even your own family! How could you do that?"

Danny sighed. He hadn't expected her to understand his motives immediately. "Don't you understand? I did this for you Zoë."

She looked up at him, throwing him a quizzical look. "What do you mean?"

He wiped a stray tear off her cheek. "I knew I wanted to try and find you, no matter what. Now you know ex-MI5 officers will always be tracked, so I could've lead all the wrong people straight to you. The only way I could go and look for you safely was by making them think that Danny Hunter was dead."

Zoë looked at him partially in surprise, and partially in disbelief. "And you did all of that, just for me?" She asked. "Why?"

"You still don't get it, do you?" Danny smiled at her. "I love you. Always have and always will. Only you managed to slip away before I was courageous enough to do anything about it. Now I know that you're with Will, because I was the one who told him about your whereabouts, but I don't care. Even if I can never act upon it, I just wanted you to know how I feel about you. I felt I couldn't go on living without having told you this."

Zoë finally let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. "You love me?" She asked. The words came out in no more than a whisper.

Danny nodded, suddenly shy, before replying. "Yes, I do. I love you Zoë."

She barely let him finish what he was saying and moved closer to him on the sofa, cupping his face with both hands and brushing her lips against his as she went.

It took Danny a moment to realise what was happening, but he soon got his act together and eagerly kissed her back.

When they finally broke away from each other it was Zoë's turn to go shy, looking down at her hands and biting her bottom lip. Though she soon got over it and leaned in to steal another kiss, but Danny stopped her.

"Zoë wait," he said. "What about Will? Don't get me wrong; I love you, and I want to be with you, and frankly I'm happier this very moment than I've been in a very long time. But I can't bear the thought of being the person who caused the split between two people."

Zoë smiled and pressed her index finger to his lips by way of silencing him. "Will and I aren't together anymore. We split up a month ago and he went straight back to England. So much for being there for me and supporting me when I needed it most."

Danny's face lit up again, and he couldn't suppress a smile. "Really?"

"Really." Zoë said. "So you can stop worrying."

"What happened?" Danny asked.

Zoë threw him a look that could only be interpreted as: 'do you really want to know?'

"Please, I want to know what happened," Danny urged her on.

Zoe sighed. "Well I suppose the reality of coming after me and trying to build a life here wasn't as romantic as he'd pictured it in his head. It was all fun and games for a couple of weeks, but we needed money to live off, because my emergency supply was running out. I'd started learning Spanish and was applying for jobs, but Will didn't even seem to make an effort. By the time he left he hadn't worked a single day, and his knowledge of Spanish didn't extend beyond talking about the weather or ordering a cup of coffee. I finally started to realise why I had broken off with him in the first place. It wasn't just the pictures his brother had stolen and sold, there was more behind it that I just couldn't lay my finger on. In the end I suppose we just weren't right for each other. And it was very noble of him to follow me all the way to Chile, but some momentarily chivalrous behaviour is no basis for a stable, long-term relationship. I did the right thing by breaking up with him," she finished.

"And I'd be lying if I said I wasn't relieved to hear this." Danny said. "It's because of me that Will managed to get here in the first place, and perhaps that was stupid of me. But I'm here now, and I'm here to stay. I'm not going anywhere, I promise you Zo." And with that he kissed her again.

**TBC**

Please review :)


	4. Epilogue

**I lost inspiration for this fic long ago, but I hate to leave a story unfinished so I decided to round it off with an epilogue. I hope this will make at least some people happy. Thanks to the people who have read and reviewed this story, and I'm sorry I didn't do more with this. Perhaps, someday, I'll try my hand at some Danny/Zoe again. xxx**

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**Epilogue: Christmas morning 2005**

There had been heavy snowfall overnight, covering most of southern England and its capital with a thick white blanket. Although it was still early, Harry was already up, making tea and lighting a fire to keep out the winter-y chill. All the while Scarlet was bouncing happily around him, elated to have her owner's undivided attention for a longer period of time.

Harry walked into the hallway, a happy Scarlet still dancing around his feet, and started collecting at least a week's worth of unopened mail from the floor by his front door. He was awake anyway, so he might as well open his mail now that he had the chance to do so, and before Scarlet got so bored that she might start chewing on the envelopes. It wouldn't be the first time he had gotten final demands from companies because his dog had eaten the bills.

He padded back into the living room and settled himself in his favourite arm chair in front of the crackling fire. He quickly sifted through the stack of mail. Most of the envelopes were bills, nothing exciting. A Christmas card from Catherine, who was currently in Syria filming a documentary, and another card from his brother Ben and his wife Angela. Harry smiled, glad that he hadn't been completely forgotten this Christmas.

In between a couple of other envelopes he found one that stood out. It had no return address on the back, and although he did recognise the handwriting he failed to place it. He quickly opened the envelope, and out came another postcard. It was a simple card with a snowman on it, and _Feliz Navidad _written above in golden letters.

On the back it said:

_Merry Christmas_

_Love Gina and John  
_

Harry felt around the sides of the card, and finally managed to peel it open. On the inside of the card was a picture of Zoe and Danny, sitting at a table outside a café. They were both smiling and they looked genuinely happy.

Harry sat there looking at the picture for a while. He then got up, put the card on his mantelpiece and threw the picture in the fire. Smiling, he patted Scarlet on the head and walked into the kitchen to make his morning tea.

_The End_


End file.
